Florida Announces State of Emergency After Toxic Wastewater Leak, Leading Hundreds To Evacuate
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference about the opening of a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Hard Rock Stadium on January 06, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. The governor announced that the stadium's parking lot which offers COVID-19 tests will begin to offer COVID-19 vaccinations for residents 65 and older to drive up and get vaccinated. The vaccination site opened today for a trial run but it was not known when it will be open to the general public. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced a state of emergency after the toxic wastewater leak discovered in Tampa Bay.

DeSantis said that the emergency decree was issued to ensure that needed resources for response and recovery are given.

More than 300 residents in Manatee County, Florida, were ordered to evacuate their homes over the weekend. Officials are fearing that the reservoir could give in any time, according to a CBS News report.

"A portion of the containment wall at the leak site shifted laterally, signifying that structural collapse could occur at any time," Manatee Director of Public Safety Jake Saur was quoted in a report.

DeSantis said that the water was not radioactive and was "primarily saltwater." He added that the priority was to prevent a catastrophic flood situation.

Officials said the reservoir holds millions of gallons of toxic wastewater, which contains phosphorous and nitrogen from an old phosphate plant, according to a BBC News report.

The reservoir was estimated to be 31 hectares.

DeSantis said response teams are all working together to ensure that there would be a right response on the matter, while also mitigating risks.

Working on The Wastewater

Meanwhile, authorities are working around the clock on Saturday to pump out as much water as possible to minimize the possibility of a flood. However, this can be time-consuming and might take up to 12 days.

DeSantis has ordered more pumps and cranes to be delivered to the area, as some workers tried to cover the hole with rocks and other materials on Friday. However, this was unsuccessful.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse said that he traveled on the plant on Saturday. He had to leave the area immediately after realizing that it was a safety hazard.

Kruse said that they determined that it was no longer safe anywhere near the perimeter of Piney Point.

Phosphate Plant

The phosphate plant was built at Piney Point in 1966 and became inactive in 2001, according to The New York Times report.

Officials have said for many years that the main danger at Piney Point was the amount of processed water being held on the site.

A collapse of the reservoir would send water into nearby properties, which includes the U.S. Highway 41, Port Manatee, and other industrial warehouses, The Miami Herald reported.

Environmentalists note that research shows how the possible spill could potentially impact the environment, with many believing that it could lead to red tide algae blooms that could affect public health and tourism in the area.

Manasota-88, an environmentalist group, lambasted officials saying that the gyp stacks at Piney Point have been mismanaged for decades.

The group added that the current crisis can be reviewed in a 2006 decision to allow dredged material from Port Manatee to be housed into one of the gyp stacks at Piney Point.

The environmentalist group said that it was never designed for stacking and should have never been permitted.

WATCH: Toxic wastewater reservoir on verge of collapse in Florida - from CBS News